Fayette County Deputy Fire Chief Tom Bartlett tells The Associated Press that the homeowner lit a stick on fire, then tried to poke the flaming stick up into the bees’ nest near the roof to get rid of them.

That set fire to part of the house, with the flames then spreading through the attic and engulfing much of the structure.

No serious injuries were reported, but photos of the devastation show that the blaze charred the entire roof of the house.

The fire happened in the Fayetteville area, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Atlanta.